Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi there,

First off, I'm very sorry that your HL is in the condition that he's in. I had a male a while back that did the same thing, and I had no clue why he wasn't moving. He lived inan outdoor pen, and was just emerging from hibernation. He continued to drink, but wouldn't drag himself to eat. I tried force-feeding, with good response, at first. He just didn't get better. and I blame his ultimate demise on the cold, since this was right out of hibernation, but since reddevil brought it up I was wondering if I did something wrong too. The only other thing it could have been was a black widow bite... since those blasted spiders are everywhere. So I have a question for the masses: How do you force-feed an HL that will also reduce stress? and does anyone know if HLs die after recieving a Black widow bite? I know that some lizards relish these spiders, but am pretty sure the HL isn't one of them. Thanks for your insights, and I hope reddevil's HL gets better.

God bless,
-Phil

He's starting to come around. I got him to lift his head up and drink Pediatric Electrolyte. He also started to walk a little without dragging. Didn't get very far though.

As far as force feeding goes, I have never had to force feed anything before this. So I wasn't sure how to go about doing it. I found a small, thin piece of metal, and pressed it against his lower jaw. Then I gently pushed down a little, and he would open his mouth. The I would take tweezers and stick a dead ant in. The first 4 or 5 went down good, but after that he had a hard time swallowing. I found the last ant I had given him last night still in his mouth when I woke up. So I took the tweezers and pulled it out so he wouldn't choke. Since then I've been soaking him in Gatorade and Electrolyte. Seems to be working so far.

First, it is unfortunate that you are having such problems with this lizard. I am relatively new to horned lizards, but I do work in an exotic animal veterinary clinic, and I must say, taking this animal to the vet is the only chance that the lizard has. Soaking it in Gatorade or offering Pedialyte is not going to give the animal the hydration he needs. He undoubtedly needs subcutaneous fluids at this point if there is going to be any absorption whatsoever. It does sound like the animal was impacted when you first got him, which is probably what has led to his current condition. The condition of his digestive system is undoubtedly weakened, and offering him pre-killed prey is not going to give an animal in this condition any nutrients. Walkabout Farms in Virginia offers a number of reptile and amphibian diets, including an enteral insectivore diet, which is what Phrynosoma would require. If you absolutely can not afford a trip to a reptile veterinarian (which I feel is imperative if you wish this animal any chance of survival), try giving him diluted chicken baby food offered through a 1 cc syringe. Start with at most .50 cc, and see how he fares for the remainder of the day. Good luck!

I would take him to the vet if I could, but I have no way of getting to one. There aren't any nearby ones that work with reptiles. Hopefully I will be able to find a ride to one today though.

Also, I will try doing what you said. Thanks for the help, it is greatly appreciated.